There are some things in our ‘shrinking nation’ that are not shrinking. There are the obvious ones that have dominated the news – petrol prices, rents, the indexation of HECS/HELP debt, the cost of living in general, and, appallingly, domestic violence. And there are the ones that have been creeping up ever since COVID – Continue reading »
politics
Many members of the Albanese Government, including Anthony Albanese himself, recall the problem that presented itself when Julia Gillard took the reins as Prime Minister in 2010 without a credible narrative as to why she accepted the job, other than to say the government under Kevin Rudd had lost its way. It was well known Continue reading »
Opposition leader and self-described friend of the worker, Peter Dutton, has declared that any Government that he leads will allow the Nation’s Tradies to be able to bully Uni students out of their lunch money. ”What sort of World do... Read More ›
There is no bigger news on the current Thai political scene than corruption among the top echelons of the police force. At issue is the tussle between Thailand’s two senior-most cops, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn and Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, both accusing each other of being on the take. Their high-stakes feud would normally be Continue reading »
In 1964, the first US Surgeon-General’s report on smoking and health was published. The tobacco industry could veto the proposed members of the committee set up to write it. Today, the idea of giving the tobacco industry power over government processes would cause outrage. Likewise, the idea of big businesses or unions setting tax policy Continue reading »
Twenty-three years ago, a Chinese-Australian solar scientist moved from Sydney to Wuxi to build China’s solar panel manufacturing industry from scratch, using technology developed in Australian universities. Shi Zhengrong became the world’s first clean energy billionaire, nicknamed “The Sun King”. China went on to dominate global solar panel manufacturing and, thanks to a mix of Continue reading »
May 6 2024, marks an important birthday for Asif Ali Bangash, who turns 34 years old. But instead of celebrating with gifts, he has decided to be the gift and give something back to the community: his healthy blood. This act is laden with meaning since Asif Ali Bangash has been living in Australia as Continue reading »
Blinken knew exactly what he was doing, he could have delayed the release but he chose, instead to release the State Department’s “2023 Country Report” on the eve of his arrival in China. There’s plenty of media coverage on what he came for, the messages he wanted to deliver but the main thrust of his Continue reading »
Thousands of people from countries around the world have joined the war against Palestinians. The US recently threatened to impose sanctions on Netzah Yehuda, an Israeli army unit established around 25 years ago to integrate ultra-Orthodox men into the military. While the prospect of sanctions against this unit might appear to be a positive development, there are concerns that the Continue reading »